Posted: 3/30/16 at 1:43pm
Burstein would be a fantastic Franklin someday.
Posted: 3/30/16 at 1:48pm
Regardless, I am looking forward to this on Sunday night. This will be my first time seeing 1776 (other than the movie) and my first Encores! Show so I'm super excited!!
Posted: 3/30/16 at 1:55pm
givesmevoice said: "Kelli O'Hara would make a terrible John Adams."
HAHA. I almost just spilled my coffee at work.
Updated On: 3/30/16 at 01:55 PM
Posted: 3/30/16 at 2:02pm
The people calling foul on the lack of period costume clearly forget that Encores! presentations were originally intended as readings in concert. In their early years there weren't show-style costumes or a set even and they carried scripts in hand. One could argue that the ever-increasingly elaborate productions were against that motive. (I will admit though that Christiane Noll's dress seems out of placely casual.)
Updated On: 3/30/16 at 02:02 PM
Posted: 3/30/16 at 2:03pm
Good point about the way Encores has evolved in it's physical prod. values.
I had a similar reaction to the 'Kelli as Adams' line 'cupid boy 2'. Thanks for that one 'givesmevoice.'
newintown - It was stated before the show that somehow existing orchestrations had not been saved/preserved - so new work had to be done there. Strange considering that this piece followed a 'to film' trajectory?
Since Wed. night WAS a rehearsal - hopefully the Dir. can still instigate some stronger orchestral choices?
Updated On: 3/30/16 at 02:03 PM
Posted: 3/30/16 at 2:19pm
Mr. Nowack said: "(I will admit though that Christiane Noll's dress seems out of placely casual.)"
Abigail has a farm to run, after all. Also her children all have dysentery.
Posted: 3/30/16 at 2:23pm
"...It was stated before the show that somehow existing orchestrations had not been saved/preserved..."
Well, if anyone actually said that, then I call utter BS; I saw several regional productions back in the 80s that used the full original orchestrations, so it's absolutely impossible that they're "lost."
Posted: 3/30/16 at 2:33pm
givesmevoice said: "Mr. Nowack said: "(I will admit though that Christiane Noll's dress seems out of placely casual.)"
Abigail has a farm to run, after all. Also her children all have dysentery.
And little Tom keeps turning blue. I wonder if they ever figured that out?
Posted: 3/30/16 at 2:38pm
He blue himself, obviously.
Posted: 3/30/16 at 2:58pm
Regarding the original Eddie Sauter orchestrations for 1776, I went back to the authority - Suskin's "The Sound of Broadway Music" book. He states that copies of the original partiturs for 22 musicians are in the Sauter Collection at Yale. Also there are Sauter's reduced (13 player) partiturs.
Original orchestrations are for 4 reeds, 6 brass (1 tpt, 2 tb, 3 hrn), 9 strings (4 vln, 3 vla, 1 c, 1 b), harpsichord, harp, perc.
Posted: 3/30/16 at 3:08pm
newintown said: "Regarding the original Eddie Sauter orchestrations for 1776, I went back to the authority - Suskin's "The Sound of Broadway Music" book. He states that copies of the original partiturs for 22 musicians are in the Sauter Collection at Yale. Also there are Sauter's reduced (13 player) partiturs.
Original orchestrations are for 4 reeds, 6 brass (1 tpt, 2 tb, 3 hrn), 9 strings (4 vln, 3 vla, 1 c, 1 b), harpsichord, harp, perc."
I'm a huge fan of that very useful book! My main reason for wanting to see this production is for the Sauter orchestrations. Otherwise, I always find this show's score disappointing. (It's still a great piece of theater thanks to a great book.) So I really hope we're getting Sauter. Somebody, please report!
Posted: 3/30/16 at 3:50pm
I was there last night. These are positively the original Eddie Sauter orchestrations, and there is even a credit in the program for restoration of them. The band seemed a little (but only a little) under, volume-wise, but these are surely the original charts, and they are spectacular.
I thought the show was pretty damn good too. No problems for me with the casting or costume choices. Made the show seem very contemporary in its concerns, and didn't disturb the period -- at least not for me.
Posted: 3/30/16 at 4:15pm
I too was there last night and have to admit that my heart sank a bit as the curtain rose and I saw the cast in mufti. My disappointed lasted about 2 minutes and by the time the curtain fell I would say that this was one of the more thrilling Encores that I’ve attended. Wish this production were on Broadway playing alternate nights with Hamilton.
Posted: 3/30/16 at 4:49pm
I am seeing this on Friday, but from the video clips, I like the costumes. And I agree with the person posting above about Abigail: the woman is single-handedly running a farm, so showing her in a lovely clean period costume seems entirely too Hollywood for me. And the American flag lapel pins are wonderful prices of anachronism. I will always, always miss William Daniels as John Adams, and I can think of several people who might suit the role better in terms of age and dramatic edge, but Santino seems just fine. One of my favorite musicals of all time.
Posted: 3/30/16 at 4:55pm
^I always thought Brian d'Arcy James would make a great John Adams.
Posted: 3/30/16 at 5:52pm
^ Yes. And I can think of a couple of others, but I will leave it at that.
Posted: 3/30/16 at 6:14pm
I was there last night. I found it to be quite thrilling and thought the costuming made the piece relevant to today's politics. Encores is still considered a staged reading and I was very impressed by the amount of detail in the performances especially considering the short rehearsal process. I do wish the orchestra was louder, but overall I really enjoyed it!
Posted: 3/30/16 at 8:01pm
newintown said: Regarding the original Eddie Sauter orchestrations for 1776, I went back to the authority - Suskin's "The Sound of Broadway Music" book. He states that copies of the original partiturs for 22 musicians are in the Sauter Collection at Yale. Also there are Sauter's reduced (13 player) partiturs.
Original orchestrations are for 4 reeds, 6 brass (1 tpt, 2 tb, 3 hrn), 9 strings (4 vln, 3 vla, 1 c, 1 b), harpsichord, harp, perc.
Suskin's book has a lot of errors, because he is not a trained musician, and this is one of them. The original Broadway orchestrations are as follows: 4 reeds, 8 brass (2 trpt., 3 hrns, 3 tbns doubling euphonium and tuba) 13 strings, (4 Vins, 4 violas, 4 celli, 1 bass), harp, organ-harpsichord, 2 percussion, a total of 29 players. The 22 players was a reduction, we believe, for the national tour and London. The Encores! production is the first hearing of the original orchestration since the show closed on Broadway in 1971.
Updated On: 3/30/16 at 08:01 PM
Posted: 3/30/16 at 9:59pm
That's really interesting, elmore3003. Do we know where the original orchestrations were found? The Sauter Collection or somewhere else? Did the original parts still exist, or did they have to recreate them?
Posted: 3/30/16 at 11:04pm
This was a magnificent presentation of such an unusual show. Part sentimental history lesson, part scathing commentary, with long stretches of no music followed by back-to-back songs. But it all comes together, and is bolstered by a terrific turn by Santino Fontana and surprising and effective performances throughout the cast.
The antagonists in Congress get to chew the scenery very well- Bryce Pinkham is a smarmy, vulpine Dickinson, and his "Cool, Considerate Men" is an acidic delight; Alexander Gemignani's vicious "Molasses to Rum" stops the show. It was a surprising performance from him.
But Fontana is the heart here. He's not obvious casting here, obviously- but he's a strong presence. In his smart suit, he brings to mind the integrity of a Capra hero- only far more stubborn and pushy. Obnoxious and disliked, but nevertheless I would gladly follow him.
Yes, this doesn't look like the stately 1776 we all know. The modern dress and atypical casting may not work for everyone, but I found the overall effect to be remarkably powerful. Some stuff is questionable- the Courier wears a hoodie that summons the image of Trayvon Martin. The choice of Nikki Renee Daniels, who is thoroughly charming and lovely, as Martha Jefferson, has unfortunate implications. Christiane Noll looks like she stepped out of an LL Bean catalogue.
But damn if the finale isn't remarkably moving, and if the show doesn't effortlessly seem to reach out and seamlessly touch a modern audience.
Posted: 3/30/16 at 11:14pm
Jack Viertel announced in his pre-show speech Wed. night that orchestrations were not complete & that a lot of work was required in reconstructing them. He also shared that it was a surprising process considering that this was the 1970's - not the 1920's that we're dealing with here. I'm actually delighted to read here that others weren't as put-off by some of the things that seriously distracted me. Here's hopin' this weekend appeals to many fans of this special work.
Posted: 3/30/16 at 11:33pm
givesmevoice said: "Kelli O'Hara would make a terrible John Adams."
I don't know. I think she's shown that she has fantastic acting chops in lots of different roles. I, for one, would definitely buy a ticket to hear Kelli O'Hara as John Adams in 1776. (Of course, i would go hear her in anything.) :)
Posted: 3/30/16 at 11:44pm
I'm one of Encores' most vocal supporters and will argue with anyone that they give us some of the most consistently wonderful productions in the city. It is not lightly when I say that 1776 is one of the best offerings I have ever seen them put on. By the time Dr. Lyman Hall slid Georgia from Nay to Yea I had tears welling up in my eyes. When that damn bell started tolling I looked over to find my two friends couldn't hold back the tears either. It's one of the most inspiring finales in the whole canon.
The cast was excellent from top to bottom, but the true standout was Santino. I was perplexed when they announced his casting and not only were my fears put to rest, but every expectation was extraordinarily exceeded. From piddling and twiddling to running through cupid's grove to every Good God and Incredible he was simply magnificent tackling this mammoth role. It's not only one of the best Encores performances I've seen, it's one of the best male performances I've seen in New York in the past five years. Bravo!
This is indeed a fully realized production and not a concert staging. The piece felt so timely and never has Cool, Cool Considerate Men made such a scary impression. Pinkham and his crew were terrifying in the final chorus flinching and twitching at the audience with such smugness and contempt that the masses would ever rise up and take their power away. Very chilling.
Larroquette was a great Franklin and John Behlmann made for a striking Jefferson. Christiane Noll nailed Compliments, especially delivering the goods on Saltpeter, JOHN!!! Gemignani has never been better than when he sang Molasses to Rum tonight. There truly wasn't a weak link in the bunch though.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that 1776 is actually a well-written show, boasting one the greatest books ever written for the musical stage. How did Peter Stone wring so much suspense out of a story that we all know the end to? And yet, you really doubt until the last minute that the declaration will ever be signed. On top of that the jokes are hilarious and have become all the sharper over time rather than turning dated or corny.
I commend Encores on providing an evening that was both entertaining and stirring. I tip my hat.
Posted: 3/30/16 at 11:45pm
I was there tonight and enjoyed myself a lot, that show is bulletproof. however, I was a little disappointed they didn't do something riskier with the casting, especially since it's just a concert presentation. for all the lip service they paid to Hamilton in the promo materials, it was still 75% white dudes up there. I bought tickets waaaaay before the cast was announced because I was hoping (naively) they would shake things up a little more and do something radical, not only because of the Hamilton connection, but because the show is already well-preserved by the film version. I REALLY wanted them to throw some more women in the mix-- I'd kill to see someone like Mary Testa sink her teeth into Rutledge, or Phylicia Rashad as Ben Franklin. at the end of the day it was a very traditional presentation of the show (save for the modern costumes). not that there's anything WRONG with doing it that way, just seems like a missed opportunity.
Updated On: 3/31/16 at 11:45 PM
Posted: 3/30/16 at 11:56pm
Sauter's full scores are in his collection at Yale. MTI has another set of Sauter's scores with missing pages completed in a copyist's hand. The scores show that a lot of work and adjusting was made during rehearsal and out-of-town trouts.
Some numbers, such as "Yours Yours Yours" are missing pages and the orchestrations were filled in using Mathilde pincus' Green Book for the show. Pincus was for around 30-40 years the doyenne of contemporary Broadway music copyists and she prepared a "Green Book" for opening night gifts for every show she copied. It is essentially the hand-written piano-conductor manuscript scores, kept up-to-date during the production process, bound into a beautiful green binding. The Green Book for 1776 shows that a lot of rewriting and revising was made to Sauter's orchestrations before the show opened.
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